Rotary engine



Patented 'May 3, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

INVENTOR.

ATT RNEY F. l. L. BYLGER. ROTARY ENGINE. APPLlcAxoN FILED DEc.29,1915. RENEwEnsEPLzz, 1 920. 1,376,397.

F. I. L. BYLGER.

ROTARY ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED DEC.29, 1915. RENEWED SEPT. 22, IS20- SI I -M ...HMH

FRANS IVAB'L. BYLGER, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 3, 1921.

Application led December 29, 1915, Serial No. 69,166. Renewed September 22, 1920. Serial No. 412,086.

T 0 all 'whom t .may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRANS IvAR LEANDER BYLGEP.. a citizen of the United States, residing at Jersey City, county of Hudson, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rotary engines of the type having a working chamber, the side walls of which are formed by surfaces of cones rolling in contact, the chamber being completed by an inclosing shell. ln engines of this type, blades or pistons are employed which are carried by or rotate with the cones and which cross the working chamber and form movable abutments for the steam or working fluid to act upon. A fixed abutment which sustains the reaction of the working iiuid is formed by the line of contact between the cones and which, although the cones themselves revolve, remains stationary. Engines of this type possess the important advantage that the contact between parts subjected to heavy pressures is a rolling contact, and the resulting resistance and wear therefore much less than if a sliding Contact existed. Numerous attempts have heretofore been made to employ the principle of rolling cones in rotar i engines, but the advantages of the broad principle of operation involved have been largely lost through mechanical diiiiculties caused by the manner of mounting the blades or pistons. This has been in large part due to the fact that in all prior engines of this type, so far as l am aware, the attempt has been made to make the common apex of the cones the center of rotation of the entire system, the inclosing shell being a spherical surface with this common apex as a center and the axis of rotation of the blades passing through this same point. In one prior type of en gine of this character the blades have had sliding connection with one or both of the cones and pivotal connection with both of the cones. the axes of the pivotal connections passing through the common apex of the cones. This arrangement is not satisfactory for the reason that it does not permit the blades or pistons to be attached to the central hub or shell if true rolling contact is to be obtained, and therefore a solid mounting of the pistons, which are the parts upon which the force of the operating fluid is directly expended, is not possible. The pivotal and sliding joints between the pistons and cones have also been made to transmit' the power of the engine, a duty which they are not well adapted to perform. Another attempt to solve the problem has been by the use of blades jointed or hinged 'in the middle, a highly unsatisfactory construction from a practical point of view as it does not permit of the blades being adequatelyl supported and it also introduces serious problenis in the way of preventing leakage. Another way of solving the problem is by making the blade revolve about the axis of one of the cones. have adopted in my two prior Patents, Numbers 1,091,806 and 1,056,400, the constructions disclosed in which permit true. rolling contact between the cones to be achieved, andwhile superior to prior constructions, necessitate the use of certain mechanical details more or less difficult to make and to keep in permanent and satisfactor. operative condition.

The object of my present invention is to produce a rotary engine securing the ad.- vantages of the principle of employing rolling cones in a simplified, strong, durable and eilicient structure. I have discovered that this object may be accomplished byl constructing` the engine so that the main axis of rotation is displaced from the common apex of the cones and in which the cones do not4 work in a spherical shell having as its center, the common apex of the cones, butin which the shell has two spherical surfaces, the centers of which are the respective points of intersection of the axes of the cones with the main axis of rotation of the system. iVith this construction it is utilize rigid blade or iiston having a piv otal connection with eachv cone, the axes `of the pivotal joints passing through the reif spective points of intersection of they axes of the cones with the main axis of rotation of ber upon which the conical elements arev This is the method which I possible to f 5100 the system, so that the blades lie in planes4 y passing through such main axis of rotation at all times. while the axes of the pivotal mounted and which may be carried upon the main shaft of the engine, the axis of which will coincide with the main axis of rotation of the system. At the same time permanent rolling contact is maintained at all times between the conical surfaces. Further objects of my invention include the balancing of pressures upon the conical members and improvements of various details of construction, as will more fully appear from the following detailed description of one preferred embodiment of my invention.

While 1 have referred and will refer throughout this specification and claims to my invention as an engine this term is to be understood in its broader sense as it is obvious that my invention is applicable to pumps, compressors and the like, as well as to prime movers. Likewise, while the specification refers specifically to the use of steam as an operating fluid, it is to be understood that any other suitable operating fluid may be used in the case of a prime mover, while the devicemay be used as a compressor or pump for any fluid or liquid capable of being passed through the same.

n the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinalA sectional view through an engine embodying my invention, parts being shown in elevation. Fig. 2 is a section on line 11-11 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on line 111-111 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional View through a part of the engine, the rotors being shown revolved 90 fromvthe position shown in Fig. l. Fig. 5 is a section on line V-V of Fig. 4. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view on line VI-VI of Fig. 4.

fReferring' to the drawings in detail, the numeral 1 designates the bed-plate of the engine upon which are mounted the pillars 2, carrying the main bearings 3 for the main shaft 4 of the engine and also carrying the inclined bearings 5 for the secondary rotors 6. The secondary rotors have conical surfaces 7 which roll in contact along the xed Contact line 8. These surfaces constitute portions o f the surfaces of cones having a common apex indicated by the point O and the axes of which, indicated by the lines OA and OB, respectively, are perpendicular to the planes of the bearings 5. As illustrated, the secondary rotors 6 comprise the conical faced ring members 9, which are secured to the carrying rings 10 by suitable means such as screws 11. The carrying rings 10 are connected to or formed integral with sleeves 12 of reduced diameter and are provided with openings 13 for a purpose which will be hereinafter explained.

In the drawings the bearings 5 are illustrated as ball bearings, a series of balls 14 being mounted between the fixed races 15, attached to the pillars 2 and the rotatable races 16 which. are mounted upon the sleeves 12. This type of bearing is very satisfactory especially for engines of the smaller sizes. Obviously, however, any other suitable type of bearing for supporting the secondary rotors may be employed. The secondary rotors are provided with the concave spherical surfaces 17 and the convex spherical surfaces 18 and 19, all of these surfaces for each secondary rotor being concentric.

Mounted on the main shaft 4 is a hub 20, which is provided with a pair of spherical surfaces 21, which fit the spherical surfaces 17 of the respective rotors. lnclosing the outer ring portions of the secondary rotors is a shell 22 having concave spherical surfaces 23 fitting the convex spherical surfaces 18 and the concentric concave spherical surfaces 24 fitting the spherical surface 19 of the-secondary rotors. The common centers of all the spherical surfaces of each secondary rotor and of the engaging spherical surfaces of the hub and shell are the points E and F, which are the points of intersection of the axes OA and OB of the respective conical surfaces, with the axis CD of the main shaft of the engine. 1t will be seen that the conical surfaces 7, portions of the spherical surfaces 21 of the hub 20, and portions of the spherical surfaces 23 of the shell 22 inclose a chamber 25 which constitutes the main working chamber of the engine, the width of this chamber being greatest at the top and decreasing to nothing at the line of contact 8, where the conical surfaces touch.

The chamber is crossed and divided into parts by one or more blades or pistons 26, two arranged at diametrically opposite points being shown in the construction illustrated. (See Figs. 1, 4 and 5) These blades or pistons are preferably firmly secured to the hub 20, in any suitable manner, for instance, by being driven into grooves 27 formed therein and are also suitably secured to the shell 22, for instance as by being secured between the sections thereof by the bolts 28 (see Fig. 5). rEhe blades or pistons thus firmly unite the hub 20 and shell 22 and cause them to rotate together, additional means being utilized for securing these parts to each other, if desired. Such means are shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4 as comprising the arms or brackets 29, which pass through the holes 13, in the secondary rotors and are secured at their inner ends to the hub 2O and at their outer ends to the side shell members 30 by the screws 31. The secondary rotors are provided with pockets 82 which receive these blades or pistons (see Figs. 1 and 4), the depth to which the blades enter the pockets and the angular relation between the blades and the pockets varying throughout the rotation of the secondary rotors owing to the fact that the secondary rotors' rotate about axes disposed at angles to the axis tersection E and F of the axes of the cylindrical surfaces with the axis of the main shaft. By this arrangement free pivotal movement of the secondary rotors upon the. blades, as the system rotates, is at all times assured, the blades at the same time in no way interfering with the true rolling contact between the conical surfaces. This construction is possible because the main axis CD does not pass through the common apex O of the cones, but lies at one side of the same, thus providing the spaced intersection points E and F.

From the description thus far given, it will be seen that when the parts have rotated so that one of the blades 26 has just passed the contact line 8 between the conical surfaces, a small triangular space is formed bounded by the blade or piston and the portions of the two conical surfaces lying between the said blade or piston and the contact line. Further rotation of the* parts will enlarge this space and cause the blade to move away from the contact line which is a fixed position. Accordingly, it will be seen that if steam or other working fluid under pressure is admitted to this space, it will act against the piston and tend to drive the same away from the fixed contact line, thus causing the engine to rotate. The force of the steam it will be seen acts directly upon the blade, which in turn is firmly anchored to the shell and hub, the latter being directly mounted upon the main shaft of the engine. Thus the expansive forcev of the operating fluid is transmitted directly to the main shaft, from which power may be taken off as desired. The main shaft, hub and shell being firmly united and at all times rotating together, may be called the main rotor of the engine, while the two conical members, having the rolling conical surfaces and which constitute the secondary rotors, form the side walls for the working chamber. These members, however, it will be seen transmit no power and act merely as the sides of the working chamber. Thus, there is no transmission of power from the blades or pistons to the secondary rotors through the engagement of the pistons with the packing pieces 33, except such slight amount as is necessary to overcome the friction of the parts. It will be seen that. the chamber above referred to formed between the first piston and the portions of the conical surfaces lying between the same and the contact line 8 will continue to be thus formed and to increase in size until the blade has reached a point of 180o from the contact line. At this time, if a second blade placed 180O from the first blade is employed, such second blade will pass the contact. line 8 and the'chamber referred to will then be bounded at each end by a portion of one of the blades and at the sides by the portions of the conical surfaces lying between the blades. The surface of the first blade exposed will, however, be greater than the surface of the second blade, and the volume of the inclosed chamber will continue to increase until the first blade has rotated to a point 270O beyond the contact line, at whichtime the exposed areas of the two blades will become equal, and no further work can be performed in the chamber lying between the two blades. At or before this point is reached, therefore, the operating fluid must be permitted to begin to exhaust from this chamber andsuch exhaust may continue until the second blade has rotated through 270 more, and thereupon reaches the contact line 8 a second time. l/Vhile the operations described are taking place, however, it will be seen that a second chamber is formed as soon as the second blade first passes the contact line 8, this chamber being similar to the chamber' formed when the first blade passes the contact line and being bounded by the surface of the second blade and the portions fof the conical surfaces lying between such blade and the contact line 8. Active work may be performed in both of the chambers between the time when the second blade first passes the Contact line 8 and the time when it` reaches a position 90O from such contact line, after which the exhaust is taking place from the first chamber and all of the work will be performed in the second chamber until the first blade again passes the contact line 8, when the first chamber reappears as an expansion chamber. This cycle of operation, it will be seen, will repeat itself indefinitely, thus resulting in the continuous rotation of the engine.

Any suitable means may be employed for leading the operating Huid `to the working chambers and permitting the exhaust therefrom, and suitable valve mechanism may be provided for governing the inlet, cut-offI and exhaust and for providing for the operation of the engine in reverse direction, if desired, all as well understood in the art of fluid expansion engines. Une valve 'mechanism suitable for this purpose is shown in my Patent No. 1,091,806 above referred to. In the present case, however, I have illustrated only a very simple engine embodying the novel principle of construction herein dis- `each of the blades 26 (see Fig. 5).

closed. In this simple construction I have made no provision for variation of points of inlet, cut-off and exhaust and for reversal although it is obvious that the engine may be `provided with means for these purposes. As

shown, the steam or other operating fluid is introduced atrthe left-hand end of the engine While the exhaust takes place at the right-hand end. Referring to Fig. 1, 35 is an inlet passage formed in the pillar 2, this connecting With a passage 36 formed in a sleeve 37 mounted on the main shaft. j rl"he passage 36 opens into an annular passage or groove 38 preferably extending entirely around the end of thefsleeve 37. Mounted adjacent to the end of the sleeve 37 is a valve ring 39, which has a port 40 extending therethrough and partly around the same, the length of the port depending upon the length of time during which it is desired to let steam into the Working chamber. That is to say, the length of this port determines the time of inlet and cutoll'. As shown- F ig. 3W, the port 40 extends halfway around the valve ring. The valve ring 39 is preferably held from rotation upon the sleeve 37 by suitable means such as the pin 4l (see F ig. 3), but is permitted to have a slight longitudinal movement with reference thereto. In order to permit such longitudinal movement, While maintaining a steam-tight joint between the valve ring and sleeve, the valve ring may be provided with grooves 42, in which is placed packing 43, While the end of the sleeve 37 is provided With tongues 44 entering the grooves and. engaging the packing. rlhe opposite end of the ring 39 bears against the end of the hub 20, a ground joint being preferably formed between the tWo. Horizontal passages 45 lead from the end, of the hub to the center thereof, and connect-With radial passages 46, which lead to inlet port 47v opening into the chamber 25 just back of as the hub rotates, the ring 39 being stationary, it will be seen that the ends of the passagesk 45 Will alternately come opposite to the port 40, thus permitting steam to pass through the passages 45 and 46 to the chambers behind the blades. lWhen the proper amount of rotation has taken place, however, the

ends of passages 45 will pass the end of the port 40 and then the ingress of steam Will be cut ofi'. Exhaust takes place through ports 43 located similarly to the ports 47, but at the opposite sides of the blades, the ports48 being connected by rradial passages 49 and horizontal passages 50 (see dotted lines in Fig. 4) with an exhaust port 51 (see Figs. 4 and 6) formed in a ring 52 which is mounted adjacent to the end of a sleeve 53 having an exhaust passage 54 therein. The construction of the ring 52 and sleeve 63 is similar to the construction of` the inlet ring and sleeve except that the port 5l preferably is somewhat longer than the port 40 in the ring 39 so as to provide for exhaust taking place during 27 Oo of rotation. rIhus, it will be seen that in the simple form of engine illustrated an automatic valve construction is provided in which the rotation of the main rotor itself accomplishes the opening and closing of the inlet and exhaust ports.

In order to provide an engine in Which pressures are balanced, as far as possible, I prefer to provide means for permitting the pressure of the operating fluid to act upon the backs of thesecondary rotors 6 so as to maintain these otors so far as possible in a balancer-L condition, and thus relieve in great art the thrust transmitted to the bearings o. For this purpose I admit steam pressure to the spaces formed between the backs of ig-portions of the secondary rotors 6, and the side portions 30 of the outer shell. The portions 30 are preferably recessed, as indicated at 56, so as to extend the spaces throughout the entire circumference 'of the rotors, team is admitted to these spaces through suitable horizontal ducts 57 Which communicate With the ports 40 in the ring 39, said horizontal ducts being connected with the spaces by means 'of the radial ducts 5S which preferably extend along side of the edges of the blades or pistons (see Ilig. Any other suitable Way of introducing fluid pressure to the spaces back of the rotors may be employed if desired. As'the pressures to which the conical surfaces of the secondary rotors and the areas of such sui-ifa exposed to active steam pressure vary during the cycle of operations, it is not possible to balance these pressures exactly, but the areas of the backs of the secondary rotors exposed to the steam pressure in the chambers 55 are made of such size that the pressure acting thereon is slightly greater than the maximum pressures to Which the conical surfaces of 'the rotors are subjected.

rhus tne rotors are slightly overbalanced and the conical surfaces held in firm contact Y along the line 8 by this over-balanced pressure. The rotors are however compelled to rotate about their predetermined axes of rotation by their engagement With the spheri. cal surfaces of the hub and shell, and with the lthrust bearings 5.

the secondary rotors and the hub and shell, respectively, may be packed in any suitable manner, as by-means of the packing rings 59 and 60 held in grooves formed in the secondary rotors, as shown in Fig. 1.

The engine illustrated in the drawings and particularly described in the foregoing specification is merely an illustration of a simple, preferred construction in Which my invention may be embodied, and I vdo not wish to be understood as limiting myself in any way to such embodiment or to particular structural features any further than is set forth in the appended claims. My engine is capable of modification and elaboration in many respects, and in many cases, particularly for engines of large power, various changes may be made, for example, the engine may be constructed with concentric working chambers, two sets of rolling conical surfaces being provided, and sets of blades in staggered relation being employed as covered by my Patent No. 1,091,806. Obviously, also, it may be compounded or built up with multiple units, while the details of construction may be freely changed to suit the conditions of use, or the judgment of the constructor.

1Having thus described my invention, I ciaimz- Jl. In a rotary eng'ine, the combination of a main rotor, and secondary rotors having conical surfaces rolling in contact and cooperating with parts of said main rotor to form a working chamber, the axes of the conical surfaces of said secondary rotors intersecting the axis of rotation of said main rotor at spaced points, and an abutment rotating with said rotors and formin a wall of the working chamber.

2. In a rotary engine, the combination of a main rotor, secondary rotors having conical surfaces rolling iii contact and an abutment, said secondary rotors and abut? ment cooperating with parts of said main rotor to form a working chamber, the cones in which the conical surfaces of said secondary rotors lie having a common apex located at one side of the axis of rotation of said main rotor.

3. In a rotary engine, the combination of a main rotor having parts forming the inner and outer walls of a working chamber, a rigid piston extending across said working chamber rigidly and immovably connected to said main rotor, and a pair of secondary rotors associatedv with said main rotor and having conical surfaces rolling in contact which form the side walls of said working chamber.

4. In a rotary engine, the combination of a main rotor having parts forming the inner and outer walls of a working chamber, a piston extending across said working chamber and rigidly connected to said main rotor, a pair of secondary rotors associated with said main rotor and having conical surfaces rolling in contact which form the side walls of said working chamber, and sliding and pivotal joints between said secondary rotors and said piston, the pivotal axes of said joints passing through the points of intersection of the axes of the conical surfaces of said secondary rotors with the axis of rotation of the main rotor.

5. In a rotary engine, the combination of a hub having two adjacent spherical surfaces, the centers of which lie in a common axis, a pair of rotors having conical surfaces rolling in contact, one of said rotors being movably mounted on each of said spherical surfaces, a piston extending between said rotors, and an inclosing shell, inclosing a working chamber between said rotors, portions of the conical surfaces of said rotors and said piston forming walls of said working chamber. i

G. In a rotary engine, the combination of a shell having two adjacent spherical surfaces, the centers of which lie in a coinmon axis, a pair of rotors having conical surfaces rolling in contact, one of said rotors being movably mounted in each of said spherical surfaces, and a piston extending between said rotors, portions of said conical surfaces, said piston, and said spherical surfaces forming walls of a working chamber.

7.*In a rotary engine, the combination of a pair of rotors having conical surfaces rolling in contact and a shell inclosiiig said rotors, said shell having a pair of concave spherical surfaces fitting the respective r0- tors, said conical and spherical surfaces forming walls of a working chamber, the

conical surfaces of said rotors lying in cones having a common apex, the centers of said spherical surfaces lying in the axes of said cones at points spaced from the common apex thereof, and Va piston extending between said conical rotors.

S. In a rotary engine, the combination of a main rotor, a piston carried thereby, a pair of secondary rotors associated with said main rotor and having conical surfaces rolling in contact, pivotal and sliding joints between said piston and said secondary rotors, the pivotal axes of saidjoints at all Vtimes passing through the main axis of rotation of said main rotor and through the axes of rotation of the respective secondary rotors.

9. In a rotary engine, the combination of a main rotor including a hub having a pair of convex spherical surfaces thereon and a shell having a pair of concave spherical surfaces concentric with the respective surfaces of said hub, said concentric sui'- faces of said hub and shell forming the iiiner and outer walls, respectively, of a working chamber, one or more pistons carried by said hub and shell and adapted to cross said working chamber, a pair of secondary rotors associated with said main rotor and having conical surfaces rolling in 'contact and having spherical surfaces fitting the respective spherical surfaces of said h ub and shell, the centers of the respective pairs of concentric surfaces of said hub and shell coinciding with the points of interysection of the axes of rotation of said sec` ondary rotors with the axis of rotation of said main rotor.

10; In a rotary engine, the combination of a main rotor including a hub having a pair of convex spherical surfaces thereon, a shell having a pair of concave spherical surfaces concentric with the respective surfaces of said hub, said concentric surfaces of said hub and shell forming the inner and outer walls, respectively, of a working chamber, one or more pistons carried by said hub and shell and adapted to cross said working chamber, a pair of secondary rotors associated with said main rotor and having conical surfaces rolling in contact and having spherical surfaces iitting the respective spherical surfaces of said hub and shell, the centers of the respective pairs of concentric surfaces of said hub and shell coinciding with the points of intersection of the axes of rotation of said secondary 'rotors with the axis of rotation of said main rotor, and pivotal and sliding joints between said secondary rotors and said pistons, the pivotal axes of said joints passing through the respective points of intersection.

11. In a rotary engine, the combination of a main rotor including a hub having a pair of convex spherical surfaces thereon, a shell having a pair of concave spherical surfaces concentric with the respective surfaces of said hub, said concentric surfaces of said hub and shell forming the inner and outer walls, respectively, of a working chamber, one or more pistons carried by said hub and shell and adapted to cross said working chamber, a pair of secondary rotors associated with said main rotor and having conical surfaces rolling in contact and having spherical surfaces fitting the respective spherical surfaces of said hub and shell, the centers'of the respective pairs of concentric surfaces of said hub and shell coinciding with the points of intersection of the axes of rotation of said secondary rotors with the axis of rotation of said main rotor and thrust bearings for said secondary rotors.

Y 12. In a rotary engine, the combination of a pair ofrotors having conical surfaces rolling in contact, said conical surfaces forming walls of a working chamber, a shell inclosing said rotors, and forming another wall of said working chamber, a piston crossing said working chamber, and means for admitting iuid pressure into said shell in the rear of said rotors to hold said rolling conical surfaces in contact.

13. In a rotary engine, the combination of a main rotor including a hub and a shell, a pair of secondary rotors associated with said main rotor and having ringshaped portions fitting between said hub and shell, said secondary rotors having conical surfaces rolling in contact, said conical surfaces and portions of said hub and shell inclosing a working chamber, a piston crossing said working chamber, and means for admitting fluid pressure into said shell behind the rear surfaces of said ringshaped portions whereby said pressure acts to hold the rolling conical surfaces of said secondary rotors in contact, the total pressure acting on the rear surfaces of said ring-shaped portions being greater than the total maximum pressure which can act upon said rolling conical surfaces.

14. In a rotary engine, the combination of a hub, a shell, secondary rotors mounted between said hub and shell and having conical surfaces rolling in contact, portions of said secondary rotors projecting beyond said hub and shell, bearings engaging said projecting portions of said seconda-ry rotors, said projecting portions having transverse openings therethrough, connecting members uniting said hub and shell and passing through said openings, and a piston extending between said hub and shell and said secondary rotors. v

l5.v In a rotary engine, the combination of a main rotor, including a hub and inclosing shell, a pair of secondary rotors having conical surfaces rolling in contact and coperating with said main rotor hub and shell to form a working chamber, a piston crossing said working chamber, and ports in said hub opening into said working chamber. Y

FRANS IVAR L. BYLGER. 

